What a wonderful story— I loved the whole book! It was a joy to read. There was love and happiness in the midst of tragedy.

Colby and Trip’s chemistry was adorable. They were dedicated godparents and loved each other through all the chaos. I thought it was so sweet. I’ll have to get this one to keep for my shelf.
It reminded me of the Kathrine Heigel movie Life As We Know It.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely love Rachel Van Dykens books! This was such a good read. Colby is best friends with Monica and her husband Brooks. Rip is Monica’s brother and Brooks best friend. After a failed date the uptight Rip and chaotic Colby don’t get along. Rip is pretty much a jerk to her. And despite his actions Colby has always had a crush on him. Then a horrible accident happens and Monica and Brooks pass away. Leaving Colby and Rip to take care of the their two children. This had all of the emotions, it tugged at your heart strings, and the next minute had you laughing. I enjoyed this book so much!

I absolutely loved this! This definitely filled my grumpy x sunshine heart. With the heartbreaking and tears of the events that happened in this book, the positive importance of this book was really apparent. I absolutely loved Colby; how she’s carefree with the biggest heart, also she was hilarious! I liked how she brought Rip out of his tough exterior and shell. She reminded him that it was okay to be free and fun and to live life. Rip was a sweetheart as well, despite his grumpiness. I liked how he realized that life wasn’t always about structure or being serious, and how it was okay to go against what’s planned. Their relationship was the cutest, and i really loved their development and how they became to be. The tension was well written and they were such a great pair for one another!

Cute and funny but also had me tearing up more than I expected! Opposites attract when they become co-parents of two young kids after their best friends pass away. Enjoyed the witty banter, forced proximity and chemistry in this book!

It reminds me of that movie that I can’t remember the name of but omg so so good! I loved every second of it! Such a feel good

Enemies to lovers book that’s sad and heartwarming. It reminded me a lot of a movie with kath Heigl. No complaints it is an entertaining summer read.

This book made me go through a rollercoaster of emotions and I enjoyed every seconds of it. I loved how this book explored so many different themes. And I loved the romance in this one, it was just so cute and the characters were perfect for each other.

En bref, malgré le thème assez sombre étant donné que les parents décèdent et que nos deux héros doivent prendre leur suite, j'ai adoré les voir se battre pour leurs convictions et tout ce qui compte pour eux. Colby et Rip sont très différent l'un de l'autre mais dans un sens ils sont aussi complémentaires et on ne peut que sourire en les voyant aller au bout de leurs idées. Ils vont avoir quelques disputes mais aussi quelques moments forts et j'ai apprécié de les voir se rapprocher au fur et à mesure que l'on va découvrir leur histoire. Le final est vraiment chouette et même s'il n'y a pas de grande surprise dans l'intrigue, j'ai adoré les rencontrer et apprendre à les connaitre !!

The Godparent Trap is an emotional haters-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, and forced proximity with adorable kids and a grumpy cat. Rip and Colby, who have known each other most of their lives and have some unfortunate history between them, are forced to live together and raise two kids when their best friends die in a car accident and leave the kids to both of them. We are then taken on an emotional rollercoaster as Rip and Colby navigate parenthood, their jobs, their grief, and learning to get along with each other. While the book deals with the heavy topics of death and grief, there are also many heartwarming and laugh-out-loud moments.

I really enjoyed the story. I thought Van Dyken dealt with the hard topics well and managed to inject enough humor to lighten the mood and keep it from being too heavy. She captured the chaos that is raising young children while still trying to not only keep your job but also your sanity. I liked how opposite the characters' personalities were, but thought Rip was overly harsh to someone who was obviously grieving and doing her best after being thrown into a new and difficult situation. His good friend Banks was hilarious, if maybe a bit over the top. Colby was a lovable hot mess, and although she is almost the opposite of me, I could really relate to her.

The only thing that missed the mark for me was that the ending and the epilogue were a little over the top. The ending was a bit unconventional, which I liked, but it was a bit much. I had to roll my eyes a few times at the epilogue and how everything tied up just a little too perfectly, but it was still very sweet. Overall I would recommend this book to rom com lovers who enjoy grumpy/sunshine, "enemies" (haters)-to-lovers, and forced proximity, as long as you are ok reading about death of a parent/sister/best friend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

“One thing I had already learned was that you had to hold on to the moments – even the ones that drove you crazy. Because you never knew how long you had to enjoy them.” – Colby

Rachel Van Dyken’s newest release The Godparent Trap is a wonderfully entertaining romantic comedy that touches your soul as it leads you to contemplate loss, love, and what family really means. Monica’s best friend, Colby, and brother, Rip, have know each other for years. They continually seem to rub each other the wrong way, as Colby is a free spirited and successful food blogger while Rip is a regimented and rigid accountant, even though they each foster an unexplicable attraction to the other. When Colby and Rip become co-guardian’s of Monica and Brook’s preschool children following a tragic car accident they move in with the kids to give them a sense of normalcy as they try to navigate their differences, a chemistry they can’t deny, and raising two vibrant yet grieving children.


Is it ok to say “wow” in a review? Because that’s the only word I can think of to describe the mish mash of emotions that I felt while reading The Godparent Trap. Rachel so accurately conveyed life with preschoolers as well as how they process the loss of a parent. There is a never ending supply of comedic moments when it comes to raising kids and Rachel tapped into many of them. Children also have a much simpler view of life and the afterlife and their philosophical musings can be so much more insightful. This combination creates a story that not only entertains but makes makes you contemplate the really important things in life. Colby and Rip didn’t see it coming but came to the realization “our friends had become our family”.

” I loved her. And now I Knew I always had. I had just been afraid to love someone I couldn’t control.” – Rip


The one thing you are always guaranteed with a Rachel Van Dyken book is heart-melting and steamy romance. Colby and Rip have always felt the lust but were able to rationalize it away based on how different their personalities and lives were. Living together and sharing a love for Viera and Ben help them to see each other in a different light which allows a love for each other to grow and that simmering flame to combust. I loved this progression in their relationship and where it ended up taking them. You will love it too and I promise you will have a hard time putting down The Godparent Trap!

5 stars
First I fell in love with the cover and then with the book. It remind me of that Katherine Heigl movie, Life As We Know It. Perfect mixture of emotion , love, pain and grieve. I loved them especially the kids. Fictional kids are so adorable.

TROPES: enemies to lovers
co parents
sister's bestfriend

I have never read any book from this author but it will definitely check them out .
I would definitely recommend it

This is both a fun and poignant story. Colby and Rip become guardians of two small children when Rip’s sister and Colby’s best friend dies in an accident. Of course Rip and Colby have totally opposite personalities and a bit of a negative backstory so they seem to clash over everything. The kids are adorable and it was heartwarming to see Rip and Colby learn how to work together to do what is in the best interests of the children. Of course there is a love story and it was great to see it all come together as they become a family. I found the characters and the story very engaging and overall a great read.

This was great. This was the movie Life as We Know it and it was still great and so joyful. Sad to be leaving these characters.

This book is so good I couldn't put it down reminds of movie I watch I loved Colby and rip and they have such great chemistry that it's intense to read and when they finally get together it's magic like really

3.5 stars rounded up.

I love Rachel van Dyken and her books so much her writing is delightful and so compelling to read. I thought that this book had such promise but i found that I didn't particularly like Rip. While I typically love the grumpy/sunshine trope he was a big old jerk for a good portion of this book. Being grumpy and teasing/picking at someone for their clothing or things they can change is one thing but to constantly harp and pick at something that is a known insecurity is kind of jerky.

The book kinda reminded me of the movie Life as We Know It. The kids were one of my favorite parts of this book. I look forward to reading more Rachel Van Dyken books in the future though.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Romance for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

REVIEW: The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken 💫

Thank you @readforeverpub & @netgalley for the gifted eARC 💓 I’m a little behind on reviews, so this one is out now!

This was so cute!! I do not remember anything from when I read it when I got home from Iceland last couple of weeks beyond it was cute!

I’m in the middle if I would really recommend it though. Because while it was cute and a fast read, there just wasn’t anything groundbreaking or pulling me to it.

So here are the tropes and y’all can decide for yourself:
🪩 Best friend’s brother
🔥 Fake go on a date with the guy’s best friend to make him jealous
💎 Enemies to lovers
🏡 Forced proximity
🎬 A mix of the movies: Life as We Know It and Parent Trap

❤️‍🩹 Major content warning: death of parents/sibling/best friend

4 1/2 stars...

This book pulled me in right away. Colby and Rip are two polar opposites with some heavy chemistry between them. Ms. Van Dyken did a wonderful job of connecting the reader with the characters and enabling them to feel invested right away. Not only is this a book about opposites attracting - - it is enemies to lovers done extremely well. The best moment is the "wow" moment when the characters realize that their "hate" is really anything but.

The events leading up to Colby and Rip coparenting are heartbreaking and tragic, however the author manages to not let the book get bogged down with the sadness.. Even though I know this plot line has been done before in a movie, it felt fresh and different with this story. I liked the references that Monica, Rip's sister and Colby's best friend always felt she would be good for him. There are little nuggets like that sprinkled throughout the book that just make you know that Monica and Brooks are cheering for them.

I like the natural development of Colby and Rip's feelings. Even though things had apparently been brewing for years, it took some honest moments for them to admit their true emotions to themselves and them one another. Then there are the kids. They are enough to make anyone suffer through co-parenting with their worst enemy.

I did feel like things wrapped up very quickly at the end. I, personally would have enjoyed seeing Banks, Rip's good friend, get his own book. But I can understand that maybe there wasn't enough "meat" there for a full story. Overall, this book was an enjoyable read that had me turning the pages nonstop until I finished.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Ok queue the tears and THE EMOTIONS. This book is very similar to the plot of the movie, Life as We Know it. But that's ok because it was a joy to read. (And I loved that movie). I can't deny that I love opposites attract and forced proximity and I adore how Colby and Rip softened toward each other. This book has some heavy topics (death/grief), but it was done well. Loved this book!!

This book definitely gave me Life As We Know It vibes. This book follows Colby and Rip having to navigate life while taking care of their niece and nephew, working together, and dealing with the loss of their loved ones. This book is sad, funny, and heartwarming. Both Colby and Rip really struggled in the beginning as they started their new lives as a family. They never liked how the other went through life and how they handled things, so they would fight. Once they got the hang of it, you start to realize that they never really hated each other, they were just hiding their feelings. I love that in the end they really were a true family. Also, I loved Viera’s feud with the cat, Stu. I definitely recommend reading this book at least once.

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

If you enjoyed the 2010 movie, Life as We Know It with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, then Rachel Van Dyken’s newest offering, The Godparent Trap, will be your “cup of tea.” If you have no idea what I’m talking about, but you love hate-to-love/enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, opposites attract, and grump-sunshine as romantic tropes, then you will adore The Godparent Trap. There is something delicious about taking a buttoned-up, follows-the-rules hero such as Rip, and using the heroine to insert disorder into his life. This is Rachel Van Dyken, which means there is meat on the bone of this romantic dramedy.

There’s a good reason for Rip’s structured life. Even during his grumpiest, most staid moments, his compassion for his niece and nephew wins over the reader. This isn’t an easy feat because he’s mean to his heroine, Colby. In fact, I read another review on this book that gave it 2 stars because Rip’s digs at Colby in the first third of the story are hard to accept. He cuts her down and pushes against her inner “bruises.” Thankfully, Colby, even in her disordered life, is self-possessed. She has insecurities as we all do, and while Rip’s unkindness towards her hurts her, she has the sense to consider his insecurities. Van Dyken does a careful job of balancing the mean-spiritedness of Rip with Colby’s kindness and generosity of spirit. It’s what ultimately saves Van Dyken’s story. Without that balance, I think more readers would proffer 2-star reviews because Rip is difficult to love at first. Yet, that makes for a more exciting journey for Rip. It’s the catnip for any reader who loves a grumpy hero with closed-off feelings. Colby becomes the impetus for his greatest change and the moral of the story: “and now I knew I always had. I had just been afraid to love someone I couldn’t control. Someone who didn’t fit in the perfect plan I had for my life, not even realizing that the perfect plan wasn’t what I needed.”

Adding in precocious children and a prying business partner ameliorates the tension between Rip and Colby. Van Dyken also underscores the power of grief through her characters, especially the different ways people grieve death. The Godparent Trap is an easy read, even with themes that tug at your heart. I enjoyed it and loved Rip’s progression from a seemingly hard-hearted roommate to a swoony hero.